My name is Steve Shutts. With a career spanning blue-chip brands, fast-growth start-ups, and a high-profile charity, I have a wealth of expertise in the disciplines of marketing, business consultancy and people management. It is people and relationships that make me tick. When first appointed as chief people officer, I played an instrumental role in growing operations for an international digital marketing firm, Clicksco Group. Subsequently, as a non-executive director, my focus on the company’s board was on investor relationships, governance, and performance management.
In 2018, I joined the charity founded by my brother, Astriid (Available Skills for Training, Refreshing, Improvement, Innovation, and Development). As CEO, my main roles include driving the charity’s membership through message amplification while forging relationships with like-minded ambassadors and charity partners.
With 30 years’ management experience, as a client-side project manager and business leader at the Sainsbury Group (1981-1995), I rose from a store management background to become the company’s first head of strategic marketing.
Between 1995 and 2000 I launched and evolved a marketing consultancy that focused on the application of technology in marketing practice, selling the business to the Omnicom/TBWA network then running a business unit as a CRM marketing consultancy. In 2004, I became a co-founder of The Norton Group, a consultancy practice focusing on all aspects of engagement – working with a wide range of organisations including B&Q, Waterstones, Rolls-Royce, and with loyalty service providers such as ICLP, Equifax, and ICL Fujitsu.
In 2007, I was appointed by The Blackhawk Network (a division of US retailer Safeway) as its UK head. The experience gained from running one of the country’s gift card mall providers was invaluable, and I have maintained a strong network of prepaid service providers ever since.
Founded by David Shutts OBE following his cancer diagnosis, Astriid believes that the value of work is far more than the wages paid. Employment provides routine, a sense of normality, challenges and rewards, and when approached correctly, can also facilitate a greater sense of wellbeing. Astriid, a UK charity founded in 2018, helps bridge the gap between the Invisible Talent Pool (people with chronic illnesses who wish to pursue volunteering or employment), and the UK skills crisis. Astriid looks to find meaningful employment for people with long-term health issues and their carers.
Steve Shutts is the CEO for Astriid.
Menu